


Spooktober One-Shots

by scribeofmorpheus



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Stranger Things (TV 2016), Supernatural, The Flash (TV 2014), The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Halloween, Halloween Challenge, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Other, Romantic Fluff, festive one shots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 14:36:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19747732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scribeofmorpheus/pseuds/scribeofmorpheus
Summary: A collection of requested one-shots for Halloween.





	1. Index

**Author's Note:**

> [Masterlist]()

**1\. Miss Midnight (Steve Harrington x Vamp!Reader)**  


**2\. Safe by My Side (Dean Winchester x Hunter!Reader)**  


**3\. A Princess for Halloween (Cisco Ramon x Reader)**  


**4\. Reflections by the Water**  



	2. Miss Midnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Songs:** _Monster Mash_ and _Spooky Movies_
> 
> <

  


The night was young. You had decided to venture out into town -being bored and hungry were your two life staples at this point. First, you would hunt, the woods in Hawkins were surprisingly well stocked with adequate prey when there were no derelicts loitering about in dark alleys. Once sated, you would find something to chase the boredom away, maybe go to the arcade if it was still open.

While strolling through town, most of the shops were closed except for one, the local diner. You weren't hungry, not anymore and certainly not for human food, but you were bored and there was obviously going to be a jukebox or an arcade game stashed in the corner somewhere. You had a few quarters to spare so you walked over. In the window, a sign read: _"NIGHT Shift Staff Needed @ Hawkins Movie Drive-Thru"_  


You laughed at how much emphasis was put into the word 'Night'.

When you walked through the diner's doors, your appearance no doubt drew the attention of the few strangling locals sipping down iced cokes and eating cherry pie. You could smell everything in the diner. From the sugary sweet strawberry shakes being prepared behind the island to the musky leather of the Greaser sat in the back, devouring a meaty cheeseburger. It was overwhelming and a little strange. This was one of the reasons you tried to avoid humans. Unless it was Halloween. Then you loved being around oblivious mortals and their unexplainable fascination with the things that went bump in the night.

You grinned, finding subtle irony in the fact most of the people were judging you based on your proclivity for wearing leather, studs and biker boots, and not the fact you actually were one of those creatures that went bump in the night!

You ordered a vanilla shake as an excuse to seem like you belonged, walked over to the Jukebox and played _Spooky Movies_ before moving onto the arcade game plugged into the wall in a dark corner.

While you wracked up quite the high score, your keen senses picked up a new scent. You turned to see who it was. A young man of average stature, impeccable hair and a swoon worthy smile walked in. His hair damp from the rain that you hadn't realised had begun to pour. He racked a hand through his long-ish hair and walked over to the counter with a goofy smile, shrugging off his soaked letterman jacket.

"I'll have the usual!" He smiled and placed a few coins on the counter. Something about him intrigued you. Maybe it was his smile, maybe it was the sound of his voice… or maybe you just found that face of his a little too dashing. You took a slow slurp of your shake, forgetting that you hated its hefty dairy consistency. Your nose crinkled and you made a disgusted sound from all the cold sugar sliding down your gullet. When you put your shake down, you laughed at your own silliness and noticed that the handsome boy from the other end of the island was looking at you with an interested gaze. Feeling a bit cheeky, you winked at him before turning back to your game, finally breaking the high score.

When you sauntered out of the diner like someone who had just slain a dragon, you made sure to give the handsome boy one more cheeky wink before giggling mischievously as you walked into the pouring rain -doing a little dance to the song that was now firmly stuck in your head. Your ears picked up the low chuckle of the boy from inside the diner.

**Two Weeks Later**

"Would you like butter or salted popcorn with your corndog?" you asked the movie-going dates in front of you. Your eyes drooping and voice lifeless from boredom. The two dates eyed you unpleasantly.

"N-no popcorn, just--" He looked around the confection booth, "A bag of gummy worms." He pulled out his wallet.

When they got their order, you heard his date whisper in his ear when she thought you were out of earshot, "Jeez, would it kill her to smile a little?" When she turned around to look at you, you turned on the cringiest grin you could manage to pull, your vampire fangs fully extended. She gasped in shock and then rolled her eyes, "Jesus, I'll never understand people who wear Halloween costumes before Halloween!"

You laughed. As more and more people parked their cars into the Drive-Thru, you began to fill space by eavesdropping on all the dates that seemed to be going poorly. Strictly for entertainment purposes, of course.

In a blue Cadillac, an older married couple sat silently, the tension between them almost palpable.

"I still can't believe you, Mark!" The wife whisper shouted with a livid expression. The man sighed, "I swear I didn't mean to do it. It just happened so quickly. I--"

The wide held up a single finger and took a slow breath.

"Ooh, an affair?" You guessed allowed.

"You knocked my Father out of his fishing boat!" The wife said with a serious face.

You placed your hand on your mouth to withhold your snort of laughter.

"I told you fishing wouldn't be a good idea, honey!" The husband protested.

"He can't swim!"

"Then why does he have a fishing boat?"

The couple folded their arms and stared at the screen right as a particularly gory scene played out.

You turned your gaze to another couple, younger and not as tense. The young blond sat in the front waved giddily at her troupe of spunky friends who were pretending not to be spying on her and her date. You could just about make out the smell of her lip-gloss: cherry-red.

"So," Her date spoke, his voice familiar. "When I asked you on a date, I didn't actually think I'd be taking all five of your friends out too." He laughed nervously.

"What?" She asked confused. Her date pointed at the throng of girls sat on a stack of hey. Her eyes went wide from embarrassment. "Yeah… Well, you can just pretend to not see them."

"Right..." He said sheepishly, looking at the group of girls staring at him and his date. "Easy."

"Awkward," you commented.

"So, what do you do?"

"I uh, work at Scoops Ahoy," he said.

"You work at the mall?" She asked while twirling a strand of hair. Her expression was visibly disappointed. "I don't get it. Aren't your parents like… rich or something?"

"My parents, yeah." He said flatly. After a beat of silence, he asked: "So… you're a senior?"

The blond nodded enthusiastically, "Soon to be Prom Queen with a 3.8GPA and bound for Penn State! What about you? Future plans?"

"I- Uh… I'm taking life as it comes." He said.

"Ooh, Little Miss Perfect does not like that answer," you giggled.

"So…you aren't in college, you work at the mall… What do you do with your free time?" She asked, not at all thrilled by any of her date’s answers so far.

"I babysit. Mostly."

" _Babysit?_ "

"Oooh, she _really_ didn't like that answer!" You rested your chin on your hands, watching with eager eyes unapologetically.

He nodded. He drummed his fingers against his steering wheel then he turned to his date, visibly claustrophobic and asked: "Want any snacks?" His date nodded a little too enthusiastically and he was all too happy to comply, he practically threw himself out of his car and jogged to the concession stand.

When the familiar boy got to the stand, his face lit up with recognition. A smirk on his lips. "Miss Midnight." He said absentmindedly.

You cocked your head to the side playfully, "I'll be honest, most people just ask for a coke and a box of goobers." You teased. He blushed.

"The high score, at the diner. It's you, isn't it?"

You leaned in close, "Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to keep."

"As what?"

"The town introvert and resident trouble maker," you smirked. "Trouble in paradise?" You wiggled your eyebrows to the sight of his date pouting with her arms folded around her chest.

He shuffled awkwardly from one foot to the next, "Yeah, you could say that. I think she's just having her first disappointing date." He said in a low voice.

"Hey, don't worry about Little Miss Perfect. Something tells me she'll get over it. Besides, if you asked me, you're the lucky one. She seems like the kinda girl who would draft up a twenty-year life plan after a _successful_ first date!"

He found some comfort in your words, "I think you're right! I'm Harrington. Err, Steve. Steve Harrington's the full name and apparently, I can't stop making an ass of myself tonight." His words fumbled as his cheeks reddened. You found it cute.

"It's nice to finally put a name to the face, Harrington, Steve. The name's Y/N." You said smoothly.

Steve rubbed his neck shyly, "Right. I guess I’ll see you around." He began back towards his car.

"Hey, Harrington, Steve!" You shouted. He looked back with a curious expression. You tossed him two cans of Coke, one after another. He looked at you with an arched eyebrow.

"Don't wanna go back to your date empty handed, now do ya?" You gave him your signature wink. He smiled and jostled one can about.

"Thanks. I owe you."

"I'll hold you to that!" You teased, flashing you fangs without thinking about it. Steve halted for a moment but then decided that whatever it was he saw, it wasn't important.

You watched as Steve juggled the cans about until one clumsily fell out of his hands. He made sure to place that one under his arm, probably as a way to tell which one was most likely to fizz when opened.

"Took you long enough. What did you get?" She asked. Steve gave her an apologetic shrug as he manoeuvred into the car, somehow managing to mix up the cans.

He held out a can of Coke.

"Wrong can Harrington," You noted as you watched on.

His date looked at it unamused. "It's not even diet," she mumbled to herself. When she popped open the can, she was immediately met by angry fizz spraying all over her cashmere pullover. Steve's face went pale with horror, his mouth hanging low in a half moon shape as his eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets. His date let out a high pitched shriek in protest, and like the ancient art of yodelling, all five of her spying friends made the exact same noise in response. Steve had to pretend to cough so as to not let her find out he almost laughed.

***

Steve had turned into a regular aficionado of the cheesy slasher horror film and you guessed it wasn't by choice. He'd been spending more and more time with you. And the longer you were near him, the more you began to find his charm even more contagious. You liked being around him, you liked how he made you feel when he'd laugh or smile with you. If your heart wasn't dead you'd swear that on some days when he got close enough to you, or when his hand grazed your skin, it would threaten to start beating once more.

On this particular weekend (your favourite weekend since it was actually Halloween) Steve had used the excuse of babysitting as a reason to come by again -even though you both knew the monster film being screened wasn't intended for kids. You and Steve talked about nothing and everything, cracking jokes and being all handsy. To prying eyes, you most likely looked like a couple. In this instance, you were talking about what either of you did during the day.

"It's not like you're allergic to sunlight, Y/N!" Steve jabbed.

"Oh big deal Harrington, so I don't enjoy tanning and going to the beach," You replied. "It's not that uncommon for people to dislike Summer time!"

“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes childishly before offering you some of his popcorn.

“No thanks, I’m not really hungry.” You lied.

"Okay, but think about it. I've never once, not _once_ , seen--"

"Steve! Shhh!" Lucas placed his finger on his mouth, giving Steve a look. "We're trying to watch the movie!"

Steve rolled his eyes and threw a handful of popcorn at the group of kids. "Why don't you just go sit closer?" He asked with a shake of his head. He gave you an apologetic look, "Sorry, as soon as I mentioned the Drive-Thru, they all just tagged along. I had no say whatsoever even though they weren't invited!" He made sure to shout that last bit so they could all hear. Dustin turned around and gave him a big goofy smile and two appreciative thumbs up.

"But seriously, how long have we known each other?" Steve asked as he leaned on the hood of his car as though it were a La-Z-Boy. You eyed his frame from the corner of your eye, enjoying how laid back and open he was right now. Before you could answer, one of the kids he brought with whipped around.

You let out a dark rumble, "Hmmm… Let me think," you pursed your lips and placed a finger under your lower lip. You noticed Steve's eyes flicker towards them with a look of longing before they darted back to the screen, a flush of colour spreading along his nape. You smiled. "Films at this _very sophisticated_ establishment screen for two weeks, and we officially met during the first week of the Great Slasher Marathon. So that makes it-" You mouthed out counting the days to sell your performance. "Ah, yes! Three weeks and two days." You said with a beaming smile.

"Careful, all that math might just overheat your brain," Steve teased, touching your forehead softly with a single digit. You looked up at his finger, paused and then jumped at him with playful chomping noises as you pretended to try and bite his hand away. His hand recoiled and he laughed at your quirkiness before he popped a peanut into his mouth.

"Right, what was I-- Yeah! Three weeks and two days and I've never once seen you out during the day!" He said.

"But Harrington, isn't it the very air of mystery that drew you to me?" You batted your eyelashes flirtatiously, turning your head to the side.

"Nah," he cradled his neck in his laced fingers, looking at the screen with a breezy look. "It was the free Coke's." You punched his side lightly and he grabbed both his sides dramatically.

"Ow!" He chuckled. His fingers brushing against your cold hands. "Are you cold? Your fingers are freezing." He asked with concern.

"A side effect of being immortal," you jested half-heartedly. Steve rose his brows at you. When the silence dragged for too long you smiled at him menacingly and dawned on the thickest, most stereotypical Dracula accent you could, "Muahahaha, foolish mortal. You have fallen into my trap! Now whimper before the immortal Countess Y/N! Or be banished to the concession stand, where thou shalt bring forth snacks for the little critters you hath taken on to babysit!" You pointed a straw like some ancient stave towards the group of kids Steve had dragged along with him.

"You are singlehandedly the second weirdest girl I've ever met, you know that?" He said in soft awe.

You blushed, "That better be a term of endearment, Harrington!" You scolded.

"Oh, believe me! It definitely is..." He looked into your eyes for an extended amount of time. The heat in his eyes and the soft opening of his mouth made your throat ache, and suddenly you were all too aware of just how much you hungered for Steve Harrington. And the hunger wasn't entirely related to the crunching of your empty stomach.

With more haste than you intended, you snapped your face away from Steve's and focused on the screen. Steve shifted subconsciously, suddenly going more rigid. You shook your head, your raven hair bouncing about, before clearing your throat. "How about I get those snacks."

"I can come with if you-"

"Stay and watch the movie. I'm pretty sure I've mastered the whole script of this one. Besides, I get an employee discount." You tried to put on your most winning smile to make sure Steve didn't feel like he was to blame for your weird behaviour. From the way his shoulders drooped at you turning him down, you weren't successful on that front.

You stood in line at the concession stand tapping your feet in exasperation. You were hungry but more than that you were antsy. Suddenly, a jock who was standing around with his drunk buddies made catcalls at you. His wolf whistle not at all subtle.

"Hello, Dolly!" He slurred, stumbling towards you -his breath holding the stale notes of cheap beer. You rolled your eyes. "Hey now, don't be like dat. Come on, sthmile for me..." He motioned to grab your ass when, out of the drunk jocks blindside, an arm grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around followed by the sound of a fist connecting to an open jaw.

"Get your hands off my girl!" Steve declared.

"Nobody shaid she was taken, man!" The jock protested. Then one of his friends scurried to try and tackle Steve, but your heightened senses picked up on this and you simply stuck your foot out to trip him. He crashed into the dusty ground, grazing his chin.

The boys looked at you with open mouths.

"Is this my cue to declare that ‘nobody touches my Harrington?’" You teased with a sly wink.

Steve shrugged, "That would be nice actually."

You took an instinctive step towards Steve, and he seemed to mirror your actions, but before you could reach him, another jock blindsided him and managed to tackle him.

As Steve wrestled with the musclier jock, you walked over to a group of bystanders who came to watch the commotion, grabbed a soda from one of them and marched over to the fight. You pulled the plastic lid off the paper cup and poured ice cold soda all over the jock -and Steve in the process. Both shrivelled from the cold touch of the ice and broke away from each other.

"Nobody touched my Harrington!" You said with serious eyes before helping Steve up.

When the crowd dissipated, you laced your fingers into his. "So… Is this the customary tradition one performs when asking a girl out?"

Steve squeezed your fingers, "Only if it worked."

"It did," you replied before closing the distance between you and kissing him passionately. Behind you, you heard the kids make kissy noises and the occasional 'Eeww'.

When your lips broke apart, the two of you laughed in glee as Steve wrapped his arms around you. As he walked you back to the car you couldn't help but notice the smell of blood on the ground where the jock scrapped his chin become more and more enticing. You swallowed hard, trying not to focus on Steve's neck pulsing with more vigour from the fight.

Midway through the movie, you noticed the drunk jock from before stumble into a dark corner behind the concession building. "I'll be right back," you told Steve, who was half asleep nuzzled in the crook of your neck.

***

When Steve had noticed you'd been gone for much longer than he anticipated, he got a little anxious. His hands kept fidgeting about, his mind racing back to the image of that asshole jock trying to grab your ass. When he couldn't talk himself down anymore, Steve went looking for you. After searching behind several cars and hey stacks, he finally found you, but he was not at all prepared for what he saw. You, standing over the drunk jock from before, fangs extend and bloody with a look of pure elation on your face. Steve's jaw all but fell to the ground as he flung his arms in the air in exasperation.

***

"Steve?" You asked, caught off guard and feeling the life drain from your body -a feeling that held more irony than you liked. You glanced down at the unconscious jock at your feet and then back to a nervous Steve. You noticed him pacing about, hands on his hips. The silence was killing you.

 ** _"Steve, I can explain-"_** you started, your eyes shining with sadness from the eventual panic and fear he'd undoubtedly have towards you now.

Steve held up his finger and wiggled it around, "You know, I've kept up with a lot. Demogorgon’s, demo-dogs, a kid with magic powers, _literally almost getting eaten alive_ , but… but Vampires? Can't this stupid upside-down place cut me some slack?" He sounded like a grumpy old man who was addressing a group of annoying kids that would steal his newspaper every morning.

 ** _"Okay, I guess this is exactly what you think it is..."_** You walked towards him. He took a step back, pointing at the jock with crinkled eyebrows.

"Is he dead?"

"No. No! Of course not. I- I usually don't… He was just so drunk, and an asshole- besides, he won't remember anything tomorrow." Your voice came out shaky. **_“Are you mad at me?”_**

Steve nodded his head repeatedly, "Okay. Good, good." He then kept quiet for a long minute. "My girlfriend is a vampire..." he whispered in bewilderment.

”A vampire?" He questioned the universe, looking up at the sky like it held the answers. "What else are you going to throw at me? Werewolves?"

"Did you say… girlfriend?" Your cheeks blushed. 

Steve looked at you as if you said something offensive, " _That_ is what you take away from all this?"

You shrugged, "A girl's gotta have priorities."

Steve laughed nervously before he continued to pace, his mind in deep thought.

You wiped the blood off your lips with your sleeve, taking a slow step forward. This time Steve didn't recline away from you. You felt a glimmer of hope. "Steve, talk to me." You whispered. "Please," you pleaded.

He looked wounded by the way your voice quivered just then and instantly he strode over held you close. After two or three breaths, he let you go again.

"Is this… a permanent condition?" He asked.

"So far," you said playfully.

"Don't joke."

"Sorry," you bit your lips and rose your shoulders above your neck with a pout. You noticed a small smile try and force its way onto his face.

"And… is this," he waved in distaste at the passed out jock, "eating of people also a permanent thing? Because it may put a dampener on any future family dinners where you're the guest and we're the three-course meal."

You held back a laugh, "It doesn't have to be."

Steve let out a breath of air, "Aww, good because if you ate my Mom we'd have some serious baggage!" 

You looked at him in surprise, searching his eyes. "Are you not afraid of me? How are you so… okay with all this?"

"If I told you half of what I go through… _Half!_ You'd understand why." He made a 'mind blown' gesture with his hands. "Besides, you're the only non-boring person in this town… And now it makes sense why."

"Does that mean we're okay?"

"That depends," Steve placed his hands on either side of yours. "Were you sent here to do some evil bidding by some nightmare monster that exists in a parallel dimension called the Upside-Down?"

You furrowed your brows, unsure if he was being serious or not. "No?"

He squinted his eyes at your uncertainty. You cleared your throat and spoke again, "I mean, no! Certainly not."

Steve wrapped his arms around you, relief in his voice, "Good because I don't want to ask Eleven to vanquish my new girlfriend."

He leaned in, about to kiss you when he remembered where your fangs had been a few minutes prior. He gave you an odd look, "Maybe we should make it a rule that we only kiss after a thorough brushing after your… meals."

You giggled into his chest, "Deal!"

As Steve walked you back to the car, arm placed protectively around you, you asked: "What's an Upside-Down?"

Steve just sighed and let out an annoyed moan, "Oh, don't get me started!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _This fic just kept getting out of hand, it just kept growing longer and longer... I may do a sequel, but no promises. Enjoy and sorry for the wait!_   
> 


	3. Safe By My Side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I wanted the reader to have this playful (almost flirtatious) banter between herself and Dean and I’m not sure if I succeeded but I loved making Cas pop out of nowhere and trying to make it a little more outrageous each time. I sorta changed up the jump scare bit, but it still kinda counts. I haven’t written anything Dean-centric in years so I may be rusty, this was written with the younger, less tortured Dean in mind._   
>  ****

The younger Winchester brother had dark circles under his eyes and was buried beneath a mound of papers and books. He looked exhausted.

"According to the news reports, several people were found dead after visiting a Haunted House attraction in Iowa. Eyewitnesses say they all just collapsed and turned pale. The current theory is that they all suffered from cardiac arrest," Sam informs you and Dean about the latest string of strange deaths that caught his attention. "Which is odd because all the victims seemed perfectly healthy."

Dean offered a cup of coffee to Sam -who accepted it graciously- before he took a sip from his own steaming cup, he looked far more rested than Sam, although you could tell he too was not at his best because he had let his scruff grow out more than usual. You had opted for tea that morning in fear of having a caffeine overdose -your hands were shaking plenty as it was.

"Young, healthy people suddenly dying of heart attacks… sound familiar to you?" Dean quirked a brow at his brother, undoubtedly a reference to a previous case they had worked. "We thinking Reapers again?"

Sam simply shook his head, "Official reports said heart attack, but have you ever seen a heart attack do this?"

Sam pointed at his computer screen and both you and Dean leaned in closer to get a better picture. An image of one of the victims was on display on an online forum run by fans of the occult. The image showed a young man, skin drained of almost all colour, his eyes red and hair a ghostly shade of white. A look of pure horror frozen onto his face as his lips were permanently set in a forever scream.

"Yikes," was all Dean said.

"Yikes indeed, which also means cause of death is not a heart attack or a Reaper."

"Wait, so what you're saying is that this demon or whatever it is, is literally scaring people to death?" You asked, slightly ruffled by the idea of being scared to death. Chills, unwelcomed, crawled up your spine and caused gooseflesh to spread over your skin.

Dean noticed you shiver slightly. His cheeky smile was obscured by his coffee mug.

 _ **"Don't worry Y/N, I'll keep you safe,"**_ he nudged you playfully with his elbow, and despite the teasing tone, you noticed a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

You rolled your eyes and let out a soft sigh, serving out your signature blend of exasperation and sarcasm. You tried really hard to hide the small smile that tugged at your face muscles but being around Dean always made you feel more vulnerable, exposed. It also made it so you'd have to constantly fight off the blush in your cheeks and the dazzled glint in your eyes every time you were close to him.

You had been an ally to the Winchester brothers for going on two years, and even though you and Dean had undeniable chemistry (like two magnets pushing and pulling against each other), neither of you dared explore it further.

They were hunters and, even though it wasn't by choice, so were you. Besides, Hunters rarely got their happily ever after. And in all honesty, you weren't sure you'd be able to survive it if anything ever happened to Dean while you guys were together.

"The mighty Dean Winchester, my hero..." you teased him back after you managed to compose yourself.

The two of you held eye contact for a while until Sam awkwardly cleared his throat, making you jump a little as you took a seat next to him to look over several newspaper articles on his laptop. An article headline revealed that the house attraction was located on carnival grounds.

"Oh, Sammy-boy, carnivals. Best keep you away from those clowns," you joked.

Sam smiled a little before putting on a serious face, "Please, stop calling me Sammy-boy."

"Not a chance!" you wiggled your brows playfully as you took another sip of your tea.

"The day Y/N stops calling you Sammy-boy, is the day Dean gives up pie," Cas chimed in nonchalantly from the upper floor of the bunker. You and the boys gasped from freight, not expecting Cas to pop out of nowhere like he always does.

"Jesus, Cas! We talked about this. If you keep on popping out of thin air unannounced I'm going to have to put a little bell on your neck so we know when you're around!" You lectured the adorable trench coat wearing angel. He gave you a confused and apologetic look.

"Where would you find a bell large enough? I apologise, Y/N, I simply came here for this book," he held up a book he previously didn't have in his hands and without a word of warning, he blinked back out of sight.

"Oh, and one more thing," Cas popped back in front of you. "Hold onto this for me." He handed you a small ancient looking pendant and then disappeared again.

"Sure," you replied to thin air. "Aaand he's gone."

"Well, that was a very insightful visit..." Sam deadpanned.

"So, everyone up for a road trip to Iowa?" Dean tossed the keys to the Impala gently in one hand.

Sam grumbled, obviously not too keen about the prospect of running into clowns, especially since it was the Halloween weekend. You, on the other hand, were slightly more optimistic. You got to solve a case and celebrate Halloween with two out of three of your favourite people, Cas was away handling 'angel duties' as he had put it. You hadn't seen him in one place for longer than 5 minutes in almost two weeks.

***

When you finally arrived in Iowa and got settled into a quaint but minimalistic motel, you and the boys decided to go to a diner to get something to eat.

"So what's the plan?" You asked as you watched Dean stuff his face with the most outrageously sized burger you had ever seen while Sam gulped down his first cup of coffee of the day.

"Well I was planning on doing some more research at the motel," Sam informed you.

You smiled into your coffee cup, stifling your laugh before it could surface. Sam rose an eyebrow at you while he moved his salad about with his fork.

"What?" He asked feeling a little self-conscious.

"Afraid of running into any clowns, Sammy-boy?"

Dean smiled like a smug squirrel with cheeks full of food at your jab.

"No, just afraid of being stuck with the two of you while you trade flirtatious banter."

Dean choked on his food and your eyes went wide as a blush spread across your face.

“Well that sure as hell shut you up,” Sam leered with delight at his quip.

Once Dean finished with his burger he added: "So I guess that means you and I are going monster hunting."

You turned to him with some alarm in your expression, "Wait… but we don't know anything about this monster. Or how to kill it. If we even can kill it!" You whisper shouted.

Dean rose one brow and tilted his head with a suggestive smirk, "Don't worry. I promised to keep you safe, didn't I?"

You leaned closer to him, "Dean Winchester, my knight in shining armour." You teased

Sam groaned into his coffee.

"Oh, brother..." He whispered before looking towards a waitress and saying: "Check please."

***

"So what's the plan?" You asked Dean as you made your way towards the haunted house.

"I was kinda just going for _See monster: attack it._ "

You shook your head, "Not a plan for that. A plan for _that_." You pointed at the flashing lights blinding patrons from the windows, blaring otherworldly recordings of screams and cackles next to dozens of paying visitors dressed in costumes of all shapes and sizes.  


Finding the real monster on an ordinary occasion would be difficult as is since you didn't know what it looked like, but with the added difficulty of everyone being disguised, that elevated things to near impossible. Not to mention the obvious jump scare attractions and disorienting lights and sounds blaring from the PA system.  


Having a third pair of eyes would have been beneficial, but Sam doing research was equally important if you wanted to figure out how to kill this monster.

You unknowingly huffed with exasperation, not looking forward to the cat and mouse act that was undoubtedly going to play out.

Dean didn't seem as bothered by all the potential problems that could arise and simply gave you a nonchalant shrug. "Well in that case, how about: _hear a scream, run in that general direction?_ "

You clapped sarcastically, "Bravo, good to know we're all in good hands."

"Oh, you wish you knew how good these hands were," Dean winked.

You gasped before playfully jabbing his side, making him clutch his side with a coughing laugh, "Ow, your elbow is so sharp… and bony."

“It’s sharpened by years of having to listen to your terrible excuse for wit, Winchester.”

“Wow, Y/N! You wound me?” He placed his hand on his heart dramatically.

“Come on Romeo,” you shook your head at his theatrics. Dean was always more playful around you. You loved that feeling, knowing you brought out a side of him people rarely saw.  


As you made your way through the entrance a glum-looking attendant stopped you with a cardboard Stop sign.

"Fifteen dollar entrance fee beyond this point. Halloween special weekend requires patrons to be in costume for free entry." He delivered his lines in a very drowsy monotone, clearly unhappy at his current employment.

"Fifteen dollars?" Dean barked in disbelief, his mouth agape when he looked at you with shock.

"I've got this," you whispered to Dean as you sauntered over to the attending clerk and gave him a heart-melting smile. The clerk didn't look up from his desk so you cleared your throat. He finally looked up, his face caught off guard by the charming smile you had on.

"My friend and I didn't know we had to wear costumes, you think you could, maybe, let it slip... Just this once?" You flipped your hair. When he looked like he wasn't going to budge, you leaned closer and dragged your finger against his name tag. "Please Chad. It would mean the world to me!"

"I'm not supposed to… Company policy," he shrugged apologetically.

You leaned closer and whispered as though you were conspirators, "Aww, come on Chad. I'd be really grateful."

The clerk blushed and stammered a bit, "I- I wish I could but..." He averted his gaze, too shy to look you in the eye for too long.

Dean grumbled disapproving beside you, it sounded a little jealous to your ears. You would be lying if you said that didn't make you feel a little wily

You over exaggerated your pout. Then you saw a stack of name tags laying on his desk. "Hey, can I borrow those?" You pointed at the stack of name tags.

"S-sure..." he handed them to you.

"And a pen?" You batted your eyes innocently. Chad handed you his pen.

You jotted down two names and stuck them on your and Dean's jackets. Yours said _'God'_ and Dean's said _'Lucifer'_.

Dean just gave you a very unimpressed look and you simply wiggled your eyebrows, "What? Too soon?" You joked.

You turned back to the attendant, "Now we're in costume."

The clerk looked between you and Dean and then back to the name tag stuck to your left breast pocket of your jacket, "I guess that counts."

"Thanks, _Chad_!" You winked gleefully as you made your way into the haunted house.

You heard the clerk whisper something to himself and then Dean cleared his throat and said, "Hey, _Chad_ , eyes back on your magazine pal."

You beamed at his overprotective streak.

***

As you searched the house, slightly tense with anticipation of some sort of scream or attack, you and Dean made small talk as you walked from one overly dramatized room to the next.

"So, you and Chad were chummy. You gonna ask him out on a date? Maybe hunt a poltergeist." Dean huffed, pretending he wasn't jealous.

"No, definitely not." You said straight-faced. Dean's green eyes lit up as a smile danced across his lips. "Vampires are more appropriate for first dates!"

Dean's smile faltered and his ears turned red slightly. You snickered.

You twirled to stand in front of him, "Oh please, Dean Winchester. You know I only have eyes for you." You jabbed, imitating your flirtatious eyelash bat from before.

Dean sighed as he ran his hands through his well-maintained scruff, but then he saw something that made him grin. With curiosity, you turned around and yelped with sudden freight.

"Fuck!" You gasped as a giant animatronic scarecrow looked down upon you.

Dean laughed, holding his sides. "You should see your face."

You punched him playfully, "Jerk! You know I hate scarecrows!"

Dean parried your playful punches and ended up griping you cross-armed against his chest. He didn't notice how tightly your back was pressed to his chest until he felt your body move along with the resounding vibrato from his deep laughs.

He let you go and cleared his throat, his hands unsure of whether to stuff themselves in his jeans or his leather jacket. You wiped the awestruck look from your face and tried to let the smell of the smoke machine wash his musk away from your brain. It was futile. You tried to return to your playful demeanour from before.

"Come on, Mr Funny Guy. Let’s go before I beat you to death with this guy’s robotic arms," you pointed to the scarecrow, making sure your eyes didn't land on its face.

"I'm shaking in my boots."

You scowled at him in faux anger and he shrunk his neck and held up his hands.

"Ladies first," you urged him to open the door.

Dean complied and as soon as the door swung open, a creepy 6 foot Easter bunny with different sized red eyes and blood-stained teeth popped from its hidden trigger switch -a bloodied fake knife in one hand.

Dean laughed at the jump scare and turned to give you a triumphant look. As soon as he did he shouted, "Jesus, Cas!" as he stumbled onto the floor from surprise.

Cas was practically covered from head to toe in black ooze. His clothes partially singed and his torso home to two daggers.

"What the hell happened to you?" Dean asked from the floor.

"Hell happened," he said monotonously before turning to you and asking, "Do you still have that pendant?"

"Yeah," you fished it out from around your neck and handed it to him.

"Thank you. Oh and be careful, I'm pretty sure the only thing that can kill your monster is a ceremony dagger blessed by a witch doctor steeped in alligator blood."

" _Alligator blood?_ " You asked. "Where would we get--"

Cas pulled out a 9-inch knife and handed it to you.

"Thank Sam," was all Cas offered in response before blinking out of existence.

You waltzed over and kneeled next to him, offering your hand. " _ **Don't worry Dean, I'll keep you safe from the big, bad killer Easter bunny… Oh, and the harmless trench coat wearing angel too.**_ "

Dean tried to hide his smile when he picked up the irony of your words, but you saw it nonetheless. He accepted your hand, but before you could help him to his feet he pulled you down towards him and cupped your face close to his. And after a tantalisingly long pause, he kissed you passionately, knocking the air right out of your lungs. When your kiss broke your lips were partially kiss-swollen and your face had a blank expression. He had literally rendered you speechless.

"So that's what that’s like," He said hoarsely.

"What?" You asked in a splendorous daze, your whole body tingling.

Dean smirked, "A moment of quiet."

You were snapped out of your moment of elation by his retort and scowled at him again, slapping his chest as you untangled yourself from his strong arms.

"Oof!" He protested.

"Ha ha, Winchester," you helped him off the ground.   


When you were standing close together again the both of you tried to hide your blush when it dawned on you both what just happened. You both stepped away from each other clumsily, averting your eyes from each other's faces.

"We've got some hunting to do." You said frantically as you practically shoved the knife at him, storming ahead as you tried to shake the memory of what just happened away.

After some uncomfortable silence, Dean tried to lighten the mood again, "Are you blushing under that scowl?"

You rolled your eyes, "Say's the guy who was jealous of _Chad_!"

"I wasn't jealous of _Chad_!" He denied your allegation childishly, waving the sharp knife around dangerously causing you to bob around the knife.  


"You know, I don't know how I feel about someone as jumpy as you swinging that sword around."  


"It's not a sword and I'm not jumpy!" He waved the dagger again causing you to duck this time.  


"I dunno, at this point I feel like I'd be safer with Sam by side. Clown phobia and all!" You quipped.  


"Yeah, unless our monsters happened to look like scarecrows or clowns, or both!" He retorted. “Clownish Scarecrows! Ooh, Scarecrow Clowns! Wouldn’t that be something?”  


You sighed and turned to Dean. Leaning close to him so he let his guard down. He stalled for a moment, unsure of what you were about to do.  


The energy between the two of you had shifted, become more electrified now that you both knew what kissing the other felt like. Your toes were still tingling, but now wasn't the place to address his rash actions and your equally rash acceptance of them. When your lips were merely a hairsbreadth away, you snatched the giant knife and used his weight to flip him onto his back.

"Nevertheless, I still think it'd be better if I took over the role of the knight in shining armour." You said sweetly while he grunted from the impact of the fall.

"You know, it may be nice to be the damsel in distress for once," Dean joked as he picked himself up.

"Shall we?" He asked.  


"After you." You replied.  


***

After that night, you and Dean had found it increasingly easier to share more _quiet_ moments together, much to Sam’s chagrin since he usually had to deal with your blatant flirting and innuendos while he was around. Cas just found the whole situation confusing.


	4. Chapter 4

Star Labs was decked out from ceiling to tile in lavish, overly detailed and verging on bad-slasher-movie calibre spooky decorations. The whole look would have been completely comical if not for the fact Cisco and Caitlin had spent hours decorating the lab with serious crinkles on their brows -this was undoubtedly the furthest thing from comical to them, the holidays were a serious occasion for Team Flash apparently.

At one point you had joked to Joe that it was probably their collective OCD kicking into overdrive. He had laughed, Caitlin and Cisco had shot you a scowl and handed you a box of decorations as reparations for your joke.

But looking at the usually clean and medical lab in a confused collection of colour and cheap dollar-store decorations, you couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at your work -even if, in reality, Cisco and Caitlin had done most of the work.

"I gotta say, this place doesn't look too shabby. Good thing for teamwork, ey?" Ralf said with a cheery grin as he rocked on the balls of his feet, hands in his pockets.

Cisco rolled his eyes at Ralph and replied, "Ralph, you did nothing, your box of decorations are still in the box! You spent the whole day napping in the Pipeline."

Ralph feigned looking hurt, in a very dramatic fashion. You shook your head and let out a little snicker, your hair -newly cut short for the new season- swayed about like satin sheets.

Suddenly, a bright red streak zipped passed your peripheral and situated itself next to Joe. It was Barry. You were beginning to think you'd never get used to his speed. And speaking of speed, Barry, ironically, had been late to the informal decorating party. Halloween apparently brought out the crazies in town, he had stopped over four shoplifting cases.

"Oh, did I miss it?" Barry asked.

Joe nodded his head and said in a sing-song tune, "It was a graveyard smash."

"Oh, man!" Barry kicked at the air, his head hanging low. Another streak of lightning erupted and he was back standing next to Joe, only in civvies. "I was looking forward to decorating!"

Ralph's face lit up and he stretched his arms towards the box of unpacked decoration. He shoved them into Barry's chest enthusiastically. "Here, this one's all yours, buddy!"

Caitlin rolled her eyes at Ralph and Cisco grabbed a Red Vine from his back pocket, before taking a bite and pointing accusingly at Ralph like a substitute finger, "Ah, ah, mister. No slacking on your Team Flash duties!" Caitlin pushed the box back at Ralph.

Ralph pulled a long face -literally. Joe turned away in horror and exclaimed, "Eew, that's just nasty Dibny." Ralph shook his head and his face snapped back to normal.

"When you've got the great gift of showmanship like I do…" Ralph shrugged as he began using his long limbs to hang decorations in hard to reach places. 

Cisco quickly made a portal, jumped through it and returned moments later with a smaller box labelled: LIGHTS. "Here ya go, Barry. You can be in charge of cable spaghetti."

Barry grabbed the box and used his super speed to quickly untie the knotty mess. You watched in awe of his blurry speed, a part of you still found it hard to reconcile the fact that you were dating a genius IQ level Breacher who was best friends with the Flash and Killer Frost. And to think, this all started because an evil version of you, from another earth, decided to team up with an evil version of Cisco -also from another earth- just to destroy her ex-boss's fast-food chain stores in every universe because she was fired during Christmas without a holiday bonus!

It's a good thing you preferred Halloween!

You watched Barry make light work of hanging up the lights, but he seemed a little more tired than usual. You walked over hoping to offer your assistance.

"Need some help?"

"Yeah, sure." He yawned under his elbow.

"Tough day?" You asked.

"Nah," he said breezily. "Just too many met humans breaking into costume stores."

You laughed while trying to hang up a string of lights, "Honestly, considering how expensive Halloween costumes can be, I can relate." Barry shot you a quizzical look.

"To using met human abilities to rob a costume store?" He asked humorously.

"Hell yes! Those things ain't cheap! I'd kill to get a good costume… Well, maybe not *kill*, kill. But maiming isn't off the table." You joked.

Barry laughed, "Remind me to steer clear of you if you ever get powers during Halloween!"

"Trust me, I'm not crazy enough to incur the wrath of Iris."

In no time, the entire STAR Labs complex had been draped in gaudy decorations and filled with spooky light effects.

Caitlin and Cisco turned about the room and inspected the new gothic decor. They looked at each other and nodded. "Halloween has officially begun!" Caitlin exclaimed. "I'll go help Iris set up the projector for our Slasher marathon!" She said before disappearing behind a set of doors.

"I feel like we're missing something..." Cisco took another turn around the room.

You clicked your fingers together, "Fruit punch?"

Cisco looked at you as though you'd saved him from the purgatory of perusing his mind. He smiled, walked over and gave you a kiss on your forehead. "That's why I love you. What would I do without you?"

You stuck your nose in the air, pretending to think hard on his question. "Hmmm, probably still kick ass as a superhero!"

He blushed and turned to everyone, "Did you hear that? I kick ass as a superhero!"

Everyone else chuckled at Cisco's goofy expression while you hid your blush by lowering your head and tucking your hair behind your ears.

"Okay, I'll head over to the--"

"Don't worry," You cut in before Cisco could finish, "I think I can handle punch duties!" You gave Cisco a wink and began towards the elevator.

As you were walking down the corridor, you caught wind of a conversation between Iris and Caitlin.

"Is it me, or have you and Cisco gone a bit overboard with the Halloween spirit this year?" Iris asked.

"Don't tell him that I told you, but…"

"But what?"

"Cisco knows this is Y/N's favourite holiday. She never celebrated Halloween as a kid so he kinda made it his life's mission to give her the best Halloween experience." Caitlin whispered. "I've honestly never seen him so determined about something since… well, ever!"

"You know, suddenly his annoying over-perfectionist behaviour makes sense," Iris said lightly.

You felt a hot blush spread to your cheeks as you skittered down the corridor faster. You stomach all warm with glee at the thought that Cisco had secretly done all this for you. You'd have to think of a way to thank him later.

A whole half an hour later, you returned with all the alcohol and tropical mixers your two arms could carry.

Once the punch was set up, everyone made their way to the makeshift movie theatre in the lower levels. Barry and Iris were snuggled up on a couch, Caitlin curled into a ball on a chair she made Dibny carry over and Joe and Cecil lounging on a pull-out couch. Dibny had chickened out, citing horror films as not being his particular taste. Cisco and you decided to lay on a warm blanket to give the ambience of a Halloween picnic.

The two of you snuggled close, regularly sharing kisses and coos of sweet nothings when the other yelped or jumped slightly from a jump scare. Most of the night was filled with low laughter from everyone's one-liners pointing out all the obvious decisions one shouldn't make in such a situation. By the end of the night, you and Cisco nursed a warm buzz from the fruit punch, the tangy sweet scent of tropical flavours hanging on every kiss. When there were few left in the room, and after progressively getting more frisky, Cisco suggested you head back to the apartment and you were more than ready to dispense with the gift giving… well, his gift for organising the best Halloween night of your life.

"Shall we?" Cisco giggled in between kisses on your neck.

You let out a breathy sigh and nodded your head, your cheeks as pink as rosé. "No time like the present."

You giggled when he hoisted you up, stumbling slightly.

"Woah!" He steadied the both of you, then laughed. "Maybe we should've stood a little slower."

"You think?" You asked sarcastically. Cisco simply placed his hands on your waist and lifted you up, only to spin you slightly. You giggled at first and then squirmed with fear at the prospect of falling, your eyes crinkling shut. "Sto-ho-ho-hop, Cisco!"

When Cisco set you down you could feel his breath against your cheeks when he let out a playful laugh. You took comfort in that, but the world still spun slightly so you kept your eyes shut. Then you felt him trace kisses from your forehead to the corner of your eye that slanted upwards and all the way down to your rounded button nose.

When you opened your eyes, you were greeted by the circular, electric bluish-white cloud portals that Cisco created with his powers.

"Let's go home," he said with a deep gruff.

"Let’s," you agreed, but then a devious smile crept up on your face.

Cisco tilted his head to the side, eyeing you slightly, "What?"

You flirtatiously interlaced your fingers around his neck and slowly inched your lips closer to him, but when he was about to return your kiss, you jumped and locked your legs around his waist.

"Carry me!"

Cisco chuckled against your ear, wisping your hair a little so it tickled your neck.

"How could I refuse?" He asked rhetorically as he carried you through the breach portal. Next thing you knew, you were back in your apartment exchanging feverish kisses and sweet nothings.

You trailed kisses from his neck to his cheek and finally to his lips as your fingers twined themselves with the locks of hair on his nape. God, you loved the feel of his silky strands softly caressing the pads of your fingers. His hair smelled of that conditioner of his that drove you crazy.

"Hmmmm," you moaned and you breathed in his scent.

Cisco's arms instinctively tightened their grip and hoisted you higher up so he could get access to your collar bone and the dip between your breasts.

"You know," he whispered lowly. "As much as I loved today..." He placed another biting kiss, this time you were sure it'd leave a mark. "I've been dying to do this all day!"

Cisco had been so focused on serenading you with his tongue that he had accidentally bumped you against the vanity in your bedroom.

"Ow," you whined against the nape of his neck, biting him playfully in retaliation.

"Ow," he mimicked you.

Just as he started moving towards the bed, you whispered breathlessly against his ear, "Wait, I have something for you?"

Cisco dropped you, letting your legs touch the floor.

"What is it?" He smiled excitedly.

"Just wait, it's a surprise." You playfully pushed him onto the bed and then disappeared into the bathroom with a bag from Star City Comics.

When you re-emerged from the bathroom, you were fully decked out in a fake brass bikini accompanied by a Princess Leia wig. You spun into the bedroom, twirling like a ballerina and asked when you stopped, "What do you think?"

"Wow..." Cisco said. He was completely blown away and so were you when you noticed his starkly nude body resting on top of your throw blanket.

"Cisco?"

"Yes, Princess?" He said unabashedly.

A hot blush spread across your fare cheeks, _**"Why are you naked?"**_

He gave you a look of confusion, "Oh I'm sorry, was that Princess Leia bikini not supposed to lead to my state of undress?" He retorted sarcastically.

"Eventually," you put your hands on your hip.

Cisco shimmied off the bed and hugged you close, "Then why are you still dressed?"

You kissed him passionately, "I don't know, _why am I_ still dressed? Maybe you should do something about that..." You winked mischievously.

Cisco growled as he lifted you off the floor and onto the bed, “Well then, my fare Princess, perhaps I may be of assistance?”


	5. Reflections by the Water

You woke up early that morning to prepare for your morning supply run with Minho. Supplies were getting low and he had made a subtle comment about not wanting to be stuck for hours in the wasteland with Brenda's permanent sour expression and dry sense of humour, so you took that as his unofficial way of asking you to come with. You always enjoyed Minho's humour and he always said he felt safer with you watching his back.

You snaked your arms into your favourite leather jacket you noticed the layers beginning to peel and seams loosening with age. You'd have to replace it soon, a notion you weren't all too thrilled about. Finding supplies and clothes weren't easy, lately, you had asked Newt to teach you how to so you could easily mend any tears because it was easier than trying to find new clothes that were comfortable and not tight.

As you made your way over to the beat-up vehicle you noticed Newt give something to Brenda before she headed towards a sleepy eyes Minho. Newt ran up beside you, a big open smile on his face, his sandy blond hair ruffled by the wind. The smell of the salt water clinging to the morning air.

"Hey, Y/N! Hold up..." He called after you as he hobbled slightly at a faster pace than his leg was comfortable with.

You turned towards him, squinting from the morning sun, "Hey Newt, what are you doing up so early?"

Newt let out a gentle laugh as he shyly rubbed the hairs on his nape, "Uh, Minho said the three of you were going on a run..."

When he didn't immediately finish his sentence, you tried to help him along, "Did you want us to keep an eye out for something?"

"Not exactly," he looked up at you a little uncertain. "I just wanted to say be careful, is all."

You found his concern sweet. It was no secret the two of you got along, in fact, you had always had a soft spot for Newt, but he was always a little shy when left alone with you for long periods of time. Fumbling for words and always giving you that charming squinty, half smile.

"Always," you reassuringly caressed his lithe arm, running up and down the length of his arm.

"See you when you get back, yeah."

"For sure," you waved goodbye and then headed to join Minho and a very cranky looking Brenda.

***

While in a desolate old world building, you, Minho and Brenda went searching for supplies.

"Okay, I'll run ahead, do a quick search of things. Meet back in ten?" Minho asked.

"Uh huh, yeah sure." Was all Brenda said after she pocketed that list from before and hauled her body on top of some fallen debris onto the second floor.

"Be careful, and remember: stay quiet," Minho nodded at you as he ran down a corner and out of sight.

You worked your way through desolate rooms that held damaged manikins and destroyed artefacts of all kinds, keeping an eye out for essentials. About a few minutes past the agreed-upon rendezvous time, you carried your haul to the vehicle, the sound of Brenda's shrill scream pumped adrenaline straight into your veins like it was an intravenous transfusion. You grabbed your trusty metal bat and ran back to the building. When you finally got there, you noticed an abundant number of infected screeching and heading towards a struggling Brenda who was pushing the dead weight of one such infected from her body.

Brenda looked over at you, relieved to see someone, anyone, that wasn't infected. After a moment of letting the ice in your veins freeze your muscles, Brenda shouted with a slight hint of agitation: "A… little… help… for fuck's sake!"

You regained your senses and looked around for a way to get up to her level quickly. You spotted the stairs on the other end of the building and made a break for it, bashing your bat against any infect body that tried to claw its way to you. When you got to Brenda you had to practically wrestle the infected off her and use as much of your strength as you could to throw it off the ledge. Its body landed with a crunching thud, missing Minho by inches as he yelped from being startled.

Brenda dusted at her jacket before her eyes went wide in horror, "Oh shit!"

"Uhh, guys," Minho looked frazzled. "Better get down here quick!"

You looked in the direction Brenda and Minho were staring and saw a hoard of infected clamouring over each other in a seething rage and practically foaming at the mouth.

"Fuck!" You swore.

"Quick, through here!" Brenda shouted after you as she slid under a crack in the wall that led to the lower levels.

"You kidding, I can't fit through there!" You said with annoyance. You rolled up your sleeves and looked back to the smaller hoard you had previously struck down to get to Brenda. "Guess, back into the killer hoard I go!"

You focused more on making a break for it than using your energy for your mean swing. As you ran, you were annoyed by how haphazardly your tits bounced about against the weak bindings of your bra. It was a bit of a hindrance, especially given the life or death situation you were in. You would have to make a note to fix the straps or maybe make a new one altogether.

When you finally met up with the others, you made your way out of the building, making sure to barricade the door shut.

As Minho held his knees and tried to catch his breath, Brenda rested against the door which rattled from the bombarding hits from the infected on the other side.

"That's the last time I do Newt any favours," she said apprehensively.

"Favours?" You asked.

She just looked at you and shook her head, "It's not important. Let's get out of here."

As you walked back to the vehicle, you noticed a tear running across the length of your arm.

"Shit!" You mourned your jacket. "No amount of needle and thread will fix this!"

"Don't be so dramatic. Anything can be patched back together!" Minho gave you a heartfelt smile.

"It's a lateral tear!" You whined.

Brenda sighed, "I'm sure you'll be able to replace it."

You closed your eyes and sighed into your hands, "Easy for you to say." You whispered too low for anyone to hear.

***

When you got back to camp, you decided to go and lay by the beach for a moment. You'd be lying if you said all this excitement hadn't left you a little winded. Hell, you could see Minho grabbing an impromptu nap on a hammock he set up with Thomas the other day. You also noticed Brenda take something to Newt's workshop by the edge of the beach strip. Newt noticed you staring at their exchanged and beamed a bright smile at you as he awkwardly gave you a quick wave before disappearing into his workshop.

A part of you wondered what exactly Newt asked her to get. Another part was irritated he asked Brenda instead of you. The two of you were closer for starters. At least he always gave you that impression.

As you lay by the ocean, hearing the waves lap, Thomas jogged to your side.

"Y/N, hey!" he said.

"Hey, Tommy. What's up?" You asked as you noticed a group of people collecting by the heart of the camp and stacking firewood.

"Hey, a few of us are gonna have a little bonfire. Trade scary stories. You in?"

You mulled his invite over for a bit, weighing your fatigue against your need to socialise. Your gaze shifted to a now snoring -and drooling- Minho swinging on the hammock. He was dangerously close to falling over. "I think I'm going to follow Minho's lead and get some shut-eye before meal time."

You stood up off the ground, dusting sand off your trousers.

"I hear you guys had quite the exciting day?" Thomas remarked.

You huffed, "A little too exciting if you ask me!" Your eyes Thomas for a moment and then asked skittishly: "Hey you mind if I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Have you noticed anything weird between Newt and Brenda lately?"

You question made Thomas shift his stance. You didn't know whether that was a tell or not. You chose to ignore it when he guffawed and slung his arm casually around your shoulders, "I have it under good authority that Newt and Brenda are strictly friends. Maybe friends is pushing it… More like friendly."

Thomas smiled at you as though he knew something you didn't.

"I'll see you later tonight?" Thomas asked as he walked back to the ever-growing fire pit.

"If I don't sleep like the dead… Or Minho!" you jested as you made your way over to your shack.

***

Everyone around the campfire was tense. Bated breath and bulging eyes all set on Gally. His eyes lingered on you for a moment before he clapped his hands and made screeching noise.

"And then, just like that, they never saw her again. Some say her haunting screams can still be heard if you wander too close," Gally muttered with a sinister edge hanging to each vowel. His eyes wild and unnerving as he finished telling his ghost story to the rest of the crowd.

Thomas's eyes were elsewhere, staring blankly at the flames. Newt held a similar expression from time to time, his attention bouncing back and forth between reminiscing and being in the present. Brenda didn't care much for the story and spent much of her time with her head to the stars. Minho was joking around with a bunch of boys who had decided Gally's storytelling skills were not to their liking.

Aris seemed particularly unhinged, his face downturned in discomfort.

"I think that's enough horror stories for one night," you spoke gently to the crowd. Aris noticed your eyes linger on him when you said that. He gave you a look of appreciation in exchange. You smiled warmly. Just then you noticed Newt come out of his stupor and look across from the fire to where you sat. His blue eyes reflecting the flames like clear mirrors. His gaze was intense, but his features soft and almost filled with a look of intimacy you'd never seen before. Or maybe you just never looked in his direction when he did.

You blood flushed hot and you were unsettled by how quickly your heart began to feel heavy and full against the butterflies manifesting within your stomach. From the heat of the flames to the heat emanating off your body, everything was becoming a little overwhelming.

You excused yourself from the group and made your way to the banks where you let the cold waves lap and splash across your bare feet. The moon was full, providing ample light for your reflection to be cast upon the water easily. Inching closer to yours was Newt's reflection, becoming larger and larger until you could all but feel his frame blocking the wind beside you.

"It's a beautiful night isn't it?" He asked casually, as though you'd been talking for hours before this moment.

Your eyes were glued to your reflections shimmering and distorting with the waves. The starlight appearing as speckles on the dark water. Newt's eyes were set on the horizon, glancing at another marvellous view from your own.

"The stars are unusually bright for this time of year," you agreed.

The longer you stared at your reflections, the more you began to wonder what exactly it was that made you so close. Newt had been adamant to get to know you in the beginning. To be honest, he wasn't always trusting of new people since he left the glade. At least that's the impression he gave you from all his stories and how cautious he was around new people. There was a certain irony to him being one of the few people you felt close too.

Your personalities couldn't be further from compatible. He was stoic and level headed, but there was a latent temper that simmered under his cool eyes born from the harshness of this world and what he had to endure. You could be a little hot-headed and a bit more open when it came to expressing yourself. You were like to sides to a coin. Even his small stature and deceptively slender arms contrasted to your larger build and more visibly formed muscles. And yet, the two of you couldn't have looked more normal, more fitting, standing side by side.

"On nights like tonight, I always find it calming to come out here and watch how the light casts a silver layer just where the horizon meets the sea." Newt pointed out to where his eyes were set.

You lifted your head and followed his direction.

"I've noticed." You said freely.

Newt turned to you. You simply shrugged and nudged him with your elbow.

"Just because I don't brood as you do, doesn't mean I don't notice things too."

There was a brief pause filled by the sound of the waves. Newt's left hand trailed down to his leg where he squeezed the muscles as though trying to will them to heal better. You returned your eyes to the horizon.

"When Minho told me what happened, I was worried," Newt admitted.

You glanced over at him, "Hey, you know I always make it back."

You placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to where your palm connected to his shoulder and gave a fond smile.

"I know. But it doesn't change the fact that I always worry. Not just for Minho, but…" Newt looked into your eyes this time. "For you."

"Newt," you said softly.

"I kept waiting for the right moment to say something, but I forgot that in this life the right moments are moments like these. When it's peaceful and you do get a chance to say something when the people you care for come back despite all the dangers they faced."

Newt turned to you, placing a hand over yours that was still connected to his shoulder.

You tried to speak but you were tongue-tied. This was most definitely a first.

"Y/N, I feel something for you. And whatever it is, it's more than friendship."

You cocked your head gently to the side, the breeze blowing your hair into your eyes. Newt removed his hand from yours and tucked those stray strands back behind your ear. The contact of his calloused fingers against your soft cheeks felt indescribable.

Before you knew what words were surfacing, you absentmindedly asked, "Why me?"

Newt smirked and shrugged, "Why not?"

You giggled to yourself, finding something comical in this sweet moment.

"What?" Newt asked surprised.

You shook your head, "It's nothing. It's just… Well, I always thought **_we’d make such a cute couple_** _._ "

Newt gave a low grumble in agreement, "How does Thomas put it: Me with my stubborn broody nature and you with your warm smile."

Suddenly, it made sense why Thomas had looked at you strangely earlier.

"Thomas huh? Is he the reason for this confession?" You teased.

"He may have mentioned that you thought something was going on between me and Brenda. I didn't want you to get any wrong ideas about her and me so I figured I'd show you."

"Show me what?"

"You'll have to trust me," he held out his hand for you.

You placed your hand in his and let him lead you towards his workshop.

Once inside, Newt began moving things around as he lit a few lamps along the way.

"A while back, I heard this story about a past time from before. During the time of year when trees shed their browning leaves and it rained for days, they used to decorate their towns and streets with carvings and other frightening things." Newt mentioned as he bent down to retrieve something from a handmade box.

"That sounds… odd," You remarked.

"I thought the same thing. Apparently, they'd exchange gifts," Newt handed you something wrapped in a thin sheet.

You hadn't expected him to hand you a gift. A part of you felt a little bad for not having one to give him. "I--"

"Before you say anything, just open it," he encouraged.

You set the parcel on the table and unwrapped it. You gasped.

"Newt, it's..." You searched for the right words as you lifted the newly sewn together jacket and held it up against the light. It was pieced together with several different pieces of leather. Red, tan brown and even darker black patched gave it an authentic if not complementary colour scheme. You ran your fingers over the careful stitches made from thin thread to the slightly more noticeable ones made from what seemed to be twine.

"I noticed your old one was getting a little worse for wear and I figured it since I can't be with you on all your scavenging trips..."

"It's perfect." Your voice croaked slightly, pushing back tears as you motioned to set the jacket down and wrap your arms around Newt.

He staggered ever so slightly, not expecting you to hug him so quickly but when he regained his ground Newt returned your hug with just as much enthusiasm. A beaming smile tugging at his lips.

When you broke away, your eyes locked for a long minute and the amber light from the lamps cast a golden sheen upon the two of you. And then your lips met in a tender and novelty kiss.

"I have imagined doing this a lot of times. I have to admit, the reality is a thousand times better," Newt said.

You failed to suppress your blush, "That's one thing we have in common."

"Just wait until Thomas finds out. He's been pestering me about admitting how I feel for months now."

"And now you can shout it from rooftops."

"Our roofs aren't that high, or sturdy."

You laughed, "You're right. Bad idea."

"Besides, I'd like to keep this between us for now. See where we go from here. Save Gally from inevitable heartbreak."

You looked at him quizzically, "Gally?"

Newt scrunched his nose in disbelief, "What you didn't know? He was being quite obvious about it."

Your mouth upturned into a half moon, "Maybe I don't notice everything."

"You noticed me," Newt said before placing a kiss to your cheek.

"How could I not?" You placed your forehead to his. "Let's go back and look at the stars."

***


End file.
